"Aahh!" The boy let out a pained scream, clutching his bleeding nose. "You've ruined my face!"
Mikael rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop being a baby. I didn't even hit you that hard."
He then leaned in, grabbing the boy's head and murmuring in a voice low enough that only he could hear, "And let me assure you, if we weren't in the Academy, I'd have hurt you a lot more. So don't bother me again. Next time, I might not hold back and might actually break something."
The menace in his tone sent a shiver down the blue-haired boy's spine. His face turned pale as he stammered, "I-I'll go. I won't bother you anymore."
Mikael gestured dismissively, signaling him to leave, and resumed his meal, unbothered by the stares from nearly the entire cafeteria. His stunt had attracted significant attention, but he didn't care.
Internally, Mikael sighed. 'I've probably just set off some ridiculous chain of events that'll end with me exterminating his entire family. At least, that's how it would play out in a cultivation world. This world might be different—who knows? Still, I need to be cautious. Once the first month of classes is over, the upper years will be allowed to interact with the first-years, and this guy probably has an older brother in the fourth year who'll come looking for trouble.'
'For now, things are fine since each year is confined to its own building, and they aren't allowed in our section. But starting next month, that'll change. I'm sure plenty of spoiled nobles won't be happy about a commoner being the strongest first-year. So yeah, more fights are probably on the horizon.'
A few tables away from Mikael, a trio from his class was eating and enjoying the drama.
"I wouldn't want to be him," said Lucas Henker, watching as the blue-haired noble crumpled after Mikael's knee strike. Lucas was a young man with brown hair, blue eyes, and a refined appearance. He was the younger brother of the heir to the Henker Duke family.
Sitting beside him was a stunning young woman with blonde hair and golden eyes. She carried herself with a demeanor that was a mix of mischief and haughtiness as she sat next to Lucas. She scoffed, "That Mikael acts like a thug, resorting to violence at the first opportunity."
The woman, Aria Cliffborne, was the younger sister of the heir to the Marquess Cliffborne family and Lucas's fiancée.
Lucas chuckled lightly. "True, true, but he's still strong enough to be worth getting to know."
Aria gave him a knowing glance. "You just want to recruit him to work for your family."
Lucas responded with a smirk but didn't say a word.
"Boring," Aria said, rolling her eyes before turning to Amelia, who was quietly observing the scene. "And you, Amelia? What do you think about all this?"
Amelia shifted her calm gaze from the scene and replied evenly, "I find his reaction reasonable. He was provoked and simply retaliated—that's all."
A sly smile crept across Aria's face. "Oh, has our 'princess' found her charming prince?" She teased further. "If you want, I can be your wingman."
Amelia rolled her eyes, accustomed to her friend's antics. "No, I'm not interested in him that way. I just want another fight with him—and to win this time, that's all."
Aria nodded, already anticipating her response. "So, how did you end up losing to him? You never explained, and I'm curious."
A reflective look crossed Amelia's face before she began. "It was just the two of us in a small area. Before the fight started, he suggested we call a temporary truce to search the area and make sure the winner wouldn't get ambushed afterward. I found it reasonable and agreed."
"After searching, neither of us found anyone. We regrouped and shared our findings. Since there was no one else, he told me to back away so the fight could start properly. I was mildly surprised that he didn't try to take advantage of being near me for a sneak attack. But he didn't—and that's why, even though I lost, I'm not angry about it. He fought honorably. If he'd ambushed me, I would've taken it much worse."
She continued, "Once we moved apart, the fight began. I managed to keep him at bay with my arrows and even lightly injured him using my homing arrow to catch him off guard. But he was slightly faster than me and closed the distance. When he got close, he chained his attacks so effectively that I barely had a chance to defend myself. Eventually, he knocked me down and pointed his sword at mine, which sealed my defeat."
"Oh, impressive," Aria said, her tone laced with excitement. She added, "Still, as good as he is now, he'll inevitably fall behind. Miss Emily said it herself—higher ranks widen the gap between talents. Your Genius talent will make you much stronger than him in the long run, so there's no need to worry about this loss."
Amelia sighed. "I know. It's just disappointing that what could've been a great rival for me will inevitably fall behind because of his limited talent. That's why I want to beat him sooner rather than later—before his talent slows him down."
"Ah, Amelia, always so honorable," Aria teased. "But you should know he doesn't stand a chance against us. All three of us have Genius-level talent, so yes, he'll inevitably fall behind."
Amelia's voice turned colder. "I've already explained my reason."
Aria raised her hands in surrender. "Don't get mad at me over a commoner!"
With that, she shifted her attention back to her fiancé, Lucas, and began chatting with him. Meanwhile, when Amelia turned back toward Mikael's table, she realized he had already left.
During this time, Mikael finished his meal and made his way to the Academy's training section. Once there, he asked his bracelet, "What training options are available in this section?"
"There are various options," the bracelet replied. "For example, the Virtual Training Pods allows users to fight against simulated enemies to gain combat experience. This costs 50 credits per hour. There is also body training equipment such as dumbbells, treadmills, and other fitness machines. These are free to use."
"In addition to machines, items are also available for purchase or rent to aid in training. For instance, it is possible to purchase a puzzle designed to improve control for 500 credits. However, the purchase is only valid for the duration of the student's stay at the Academy, after which the item must be returned. Alternatively, items can be rented—for example, the control-enhancing puzzle is available to rent for 10 credits per hour."
"For a full list of available facilities and items, please see the menu below."
Mikael took some time to review the list and was surprised by the quality of the services provided.
He decided to rent a Virtual Training Pod to practice his new fighting style against simulated enemies.
He arrived in a chamber that was a room filled with multiple pods, all sleek and blue, resembling something straight out of a science fiction movie. Mikael approached a nearby pod and paid for one hour of use. He wanted to test the experience first and planned to book more time if it met his expectations.
A mechanical voice announced, "Payment confirmed."
As the words echoed, the pod opened. Mikael lay down on its surprisingly comfortable interior. Moments later, the lid closed automatically, and the interior was bathed in a soft blue light.
Suddenly, what appeared to be an advanced VR helmet descended from the ceiling, suspended by cables. Mikael didn't hesitate and placed the helmet on his head.
As soon as he did, a strange sensation coursed through his body. In the next moment, his surroundings changed completely, and he found himself standing on his feet in an endless white space.
The realistic sensation of teleportation left Mikael impressed. He murmured to himself, "Wow. If I didn't already know this was a virtual space, I'd genuinely believe I was teleported. It feels exactly like being in my real body, except for this faint, instinctive sense that something isn't quite right."
After taking a moment to adjust, he glanced around and noticed a small settings icon in the corner of his vision. Curious, he reached out with his finger and tapped it, causing a screen to materialize before him.
{Settings
World Setting: White Space, Forest, Cave…
World Settings Details: Luminosity, Temperature, Gravity…
Enemy Type: Human, Goblin, Kobold…
Enemy Strength…
Enemy Number…
…
}
Mikael whistled, impressed by the numerous settings he could customize. He changed the setting to "Forest," and within seconds, his surroundings transformed into a vibrant woodland that was almost indistinguishable from a real forest.
After taking in his surroundings, he commanded the Virtual Training Chamber, "Can I configure the settings using my voice instead of adjusting everything manually?"
A mechanical AI voice responded, "That is possible. Please describe your preferred configuration, and I will implement it."
"I'd like two swords sharp enough to cut through E-rank monsters, but they should also be indestructible."
"Done," the voice replied, and two steel swords materialized in front of Mikael.
Satisfied, Mikael gripped the swords and continued, "Now, I'd like to fight enemies in waves. For each wave, I want the surroundings to change. The number of enemies and their strength should vary, but with an increasing trend after each wave. Initially, the challenge should be something an average E+ rank warrior could handle solo."
"Preferences noted. The first wave will begin in 3... 2... 1... 0."
As the countdown ended, Mikael suddenly appeared in a scorching desert, the intense heat making him sweat the moment he arrived. Ignoring the temperature, he scanned his surroundings, expecting an imminent attack. After all, that's exactly what he had requested.
{Wave 1 charged. Enemy: 3 Human E Rank Warriors.}
Mikael barely had time to read the screen that appeared before him when he suddenly heard voices.
"Guys, let's kill this man, and then we can go home and enjoy the rewards for the month!" a voice shouted.
"YEAH!"
"Sure."
Turning towards the voices, Mikael spotted three men clad in full steel armor envelopped by aura cloak rushing at him. The one in the center wielded a mace, while the two on either side carried a sword and a spear, respectively.
Mikael barely had time to envelop himself in his aura cloak and create an aura thread connected to the sword in his left hand before the three opponents were upon him.
Unprepared, he quickly backed away as the man with the mace attacked.
'I'm faster—not by much, but just a little faster!' he noted internally. With that realization, he tossed the sword in his left hand into the air.
The three men were startled by his action but quickly dismissed it, not seeing the nearly invisible aura thread connecting his hand to the floating sword.
Mikael sidestepped the mace attack from the man in the center and counterattacked with a slash. Unfortunately, before his blade could land, he had to leap into the air to avoid simultaneous strikes from the spear and sword wielders flanking him. While airborne, he gestured downward with his index finger.
The sword he had tossed earlier, still hovering mid-air, suddenly shot toward the head of the man with the mace like a rocket.
The man barely had time to look up and mutter, "Fu—"
CLANK
The sword pierced through his aura cloak and slammed into his helmet with a deafening clang. While the strike didn't breach the solid steel armor, the force knocked him to the ground at high speed.
"CAELEN!" screamed the spearman, rushing to his fallen ally's side and momentarily forgetting Mikael's presence.
Mikael seized the opportunity, engaging the swordsman in close combat. His superior swordsmanship quickly overwhelmed his opponent, though the swordsman's armor mitigated any severe injuries.
Meanwhile, Mikael didn't forget about the other two enemies. Using his aura-threaded sword, he launched an attack at the kneeling spearman.
Boom
The flying sword narrowly missed its mark, a testament to Mikael's inexperience with the technique. The spearman, startled by the near miss, refocused his attention on the battle and managed to dodge subsequent attempts as the sword attempted to attack from its landing spot in the crater.
Rejoining the fight, the spearman turned the tide against Mikael, who now faced a two-versus-one scenario. While Mikael tried to use his flying sword for support, the enemies quickly adapted, evading his predictable strikes.